Work

GIS-Integrated Groundwater Flow Modeling for Heterogeneous Media: Application to the Calera Aquifer

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Groundwater characterization is seldom performed in countries with limited infrastructure and resources. A short-term solution is to use numerical simulation to study groundwater using the limited available data. We developed a GIS-integrated groundwater flow scheme based on the finite-difference method to numerically simulate flow using surface geological information. We performed groundwater simulations, using homogeneous and heterogeneous media to evaluate flow changes resulting from heterogeneities. The results show flow barriers in low hydraulic-conductivity zones that coincide with the administrative boundaries of the aquifer; however, in high hydraulic-conductivity zones, the administrative aquifer boundaries do not match the geological limits of the aquifer. This finding gives insight into reconsidering the boundaries of some aquifers in the region for their sustainability, with an integral understanding of groundwater.

Source: Water

DOI: 10.3390/w18010059

Authors: Raul U. Silva-Avalos, Hugo Enrique Júnez-Ferreira, Julián González-Trinidad, Jonas D. De Basabe, Luis Gerardo Ortiz-Acuña

Institutions: Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas "Francisco García Salinas", Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada

Language: English

Topic: Groundwater flow and contamination studies

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137